Paintbrush holder



Aug. 5, 1952 G. o. SCHULZ 2,605,986

PAINTBRUSH HOLDER Filed oet. 1e, 194s 2 sHEsTs-SHEET 1 /Zb .92 a

Invenior' Gusal/ '0. Schu, ZZ F2 l. 9- 4 flz/la "9L Aug. 5, 1952 G. voScHULz 2,605,986'

PAINTBRU'SH HOLDER Filed oct. 18, 1948 'suzslsz'rs-suxn '2 In venor' IuQsciV @Schl/LZ2, y 6? 1.957%

Patented Aug. 5, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Gustav O. Schulz, Portland; Oreg.

Application October 18, 1948, 'Serial No. 55,051

1 Claim. l

The present invention relates to a paint brush holder adapted to secure one or Vmore 'paint brushes pivotally andreleasably to the rim of a paint bucket.

In the painting trade. it is customary for the painter to use two or more brushes of Vdierent size. He may use a large one, for example, for the major portion of the Work and a smaller one for the trim. This practice presents the problem of providing a suitable depository for the idle brush while its mate is being used, Customarily the painter meets this problem by placing the idle brush in his pocket or on some convenient support such as the top of the paint bucket, which is untidy and affords an opportunity for the paint to dry on the brush. Alternatively, he may allow it to remain in the bucket. This is disadvantageous in that it places the weight of the brush on the bristles and bends them and, in addition, may smear the handle of the brush with paint.

Other problems encountered in the painting trade and now met by expedients which are not altogether satisfactory are: that of providing a support forbrushes between painting operations, When it -is desirable to immerse the brush in a thinner or solvent mixture toclean it and prevent if from drying out; that of providing awiping surface on which a freshlyV dipped paint brush carrying excess paint may be wiped to remove the excess thereof; and Vthat of providing a brush holder for attachment to a paint bucket and consisting of one or more brush holding units which will not interfere with each other in use.

It, therefore, is a primary object of the present invention to provide a paint brush holder which may be attached to the ordinary paint bucket and which may be used to support one or more paint brushes with the brush portion immersed in the fluid contents of the bucket but suspended above the bottom thereof, thus preventing the brush from drying out and the bristles from bending,

It is another object of the vpresent invention to provide a paint brush holder which is universal in its application, being adaptable'to' use on paint buckets provided with inwardly'extend- ,ing lips,` as those in which paint customarily is sold, as Well as 'on vthe'lipless buckets. to which the professional painter likes to transfer his paint.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a paint brush holder which may be employed to hold a plurality of brushes in a single container, the individual units Vof the holder being pivotally vmounted to enable swinging the brushes out of the operatingarea, thereby leaving a free space for immersing in the'contents of the bucketthe brush which is being used.

Itis still a further vobject of the present invention to provide apaint brush holder which serves the dual functions of holding the idle brush and of providing a'wiping surface on which the brush being used by the painter may be wiped to remove excess paint withoutl spilling it or running it over the edge ofthe bucket.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a brush holder which may be locked in position on the edge of an ordinarypaint bucket so that it cannotbe knocked or jarred loose, as

.upon accidental contact with the paint brush.`

Still another vobject lof the present invention is the provision of a paint brush'holder which may serve the functions of holding the idle paint brushes with the brush portions suspended inthe paint during the painting operation, and in an appropriate solvent or brush cleaner after 4the painting operationhas been completed.

Still a further object of thepresent invention is the provision of a paint brush holder comprising a pluraliti7 of holding units and adapted to hold in a paint bucket a plurality of paint brushes being 'interchangeably used, the holding unit for the brush in use being rotatable to a position in which it does not interfere vwith the brush dipping operation.

It is still a further` object of the present invention to provide a paint brush holder which is of simple, strong construction and inexpensively fabricated from readily available parts.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device for holding several paint brushesfin suspension in a container for paint in such a manner that they can be swung to one side out-of the way to facilitate the attachment and detachment of the brushes.

Still another object of the present invention isto provide a paint brush holder for one or more brushes that can easily and quickly beattached to or detached from a paint bucket.

The manner in which the foregoing and other objects of the present invention are accomplished will be apparent from the following specication and claim, considered together withA the accompanyingv drawings, wherein like numerals identify like parts and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a paint bucket having an inwardly extending Y 3 lip, with the paint brush holder of the invention mounted thereon;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the paint bucket of Figure 1, further illustrating the manner of attachment of the paint brush holder of the invention thereto, and its manner of use.

It will be apparent from the drawings that the presently described paint brush holder broadly comprises a pair of bars adapted to clamp on the inwardly extending rim of a paint bucket, one or more brush holding spring clips, and means for pivotally attaching the spring clip or clips to the bars. The lower bar I is adapted to lie within the paint bucket I I beneath the inwardly extending projection or lip I2. The ends of the bar preferably are curved to conform to the curvature of the side wall of the bucket and, if desired, may be bent upwardly to engage the inner groove I2a of the lip. It is perforated at spaced intervals, as at each end and in the central portion, the perforations I3 preferably being substantially square to accommodate the head of a carriage bolt.

The upper bar I4 is shaped and proportioned substantially the same as the lower bar I0 and is adapted to lie on the upper surface of the lip I2. It also may be curved to conform to the curvature of the side wall of the bucket and may have its ends turned downwardly to engage the outer groove IZb of the lip I2 and anchor it in place. It is provided with a plurality of preferably round perforations I5 at spaced intervals, as one at each end and one in the middle, these perforations being opposite and in substantial alignment with the perforations in the lower bar when the two bars are in position on the rim of the bucket. When interconnected by means of the two carriage bolts I6, I6 provided with wing nuts I1, I1, or by a single bolt inserted through the center pair of perforations the bars thus provide a means for clamping to the paint bucket one or more brush holding units. These may be attached to the bars by independent means, although preferably they are thus attached by means of the bolts used to hold the bars together.

The brush holding unit may comprise a spring clip made up of two opposed elongated members or fingers I8, I8 interconnected by means of a volute spring I9, the ends of which are attached to the fingers, as by being bent and placed in a slot therein. In order to attach the spring clip to the bars, the bolt I6 may be inserted through the central portion of the volute spring I9. Then when the wing nut is drawn tight, the lower surface of the spring will bear against the upper surface of the upper bar, while its upper surface will bear against the wing nut I'I. In this manner, there is afforded a convenient means for clamping the bars to the rim of the bucket while contemporaneously pivotally mounting the spring clips thereon. The latter then may be used to hold a paint brush 20 immersed at a desired depth in the fluid contents 2I of the container.

When using the brush holder, paint brushes (a large one and a small one for example) may be placed one in each of the spring clips and held immersed to a desired depth in the iiuid contents of the bucket. This may comprise a suitable solvent or cleaner, if the brushes are not in active use, or paint or other coating composition when the brushes are being used. In the latter case, the brush to be used may be removed from its respective spring clip which then may be swung outwardly to the dotted position indicated in Figure 2 with its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bar. This leaves substantially the entire opening of the bucket unobstructed so that its contents may be used without interference.

When the use of the first brush is completed, its spring clip holder may be rotated back over the opening of the bucket and the brush placed in the clip, with the brush end immersed in the fluid but out of contact with the bottom of the bucket, thereby preventing bending of the bristles. A number of brushes may be supported and used in this manner, one being stationed at each end of the bar in the usual case, but one or more also being place at spaced intervals thereon if such is desired.

The bars on which the spring clips are mounted thus serve a four-fold function. In the first place, they serve to clamp the spring clip holders to the inwardly projecting rim of the paint bucket. In the second place, they serve as a support for pivotally mounting the spring clip holders above the opening of the paint bucket. In the third place, they serve a spacing function, enabling positioning of the brush holding units, i. e. the spring clips members, at predetermined and suitable stations along the length of the bar. Finally, the lower bar serves as a wiping bar against which the freshly dipped brush bearing its coat of paint or other coating fluid may be wiped to remove the excess fluid, which falls into the bucket.

Having now described my invention in preferred embodiments, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A paint brush holder comprising an upper perforated bar adapted to lie on the upper side of the lip of a paint bucket, a lower perforated bar adapted to lie on the under side of the lip the bars spanning the opening across the top of the bucket and, the perforations in the upper and lower bars being in substantial alignment with each other, bolts disposed through opposite ones of said perforations, and spring clip members adapted to hold a paint brush and comprising two opposed elongated members interconnected by means of a volute spring the opposite ends of which are attached one to each of the elongated members, one of the spring clip members being placed on each of said bolts with the bolt penetrating the central portion of the volute spring and secured by means of a nut, thereby clamping the upper and lower bars to the lip of the bucket and pivotally mounting the brush- -holding spring clip members thereon.

GUSTAV O. SCHULZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 731,289 Domagola June 16, 1903 1,201,001 Thomas Oct. 10, 1916 1,754,366 Lissy Apr. l5, 1930 2,002,202 Hein May 21, 1935 2,420,487 Long May 13, 1947 2,466,850 Hoffman et al Apr. 12, 1949 

